Artist/District is a grant-making program, created by Councilman Ryan Dorsey, for artists living in Baltimore's 3rd City Council District. The program has been shaped through a community effort, led by artists who reside in the 3rd Council District, as well as arts and cultural leaders from throughout Baltimore City. Councilman Dorsey and this committee recognize the importance of artists and art-making to our communities, and believe that artists shouldn't be forced to choose between making art and supporting themselves and their families. The Artist/District grant program will give artists the opportunity to produce work that will enrich our community and support a culture of creativity within the District.

Four artists will be awarded $3,000 each by way of a lottery.

It's free to apply! Applications due May 18th.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What dates should I be aware of?

A. Here are the important dates to remember:

• April 28 – Get in-person help submitting your application. 3pm at Hamilton Gallery, 5502 Harford Road, Baltimore, MD 21214.

• May 18 – Application Submission Deadline. 

• June 8 – Notice of application receipt. 

• June 30 – Party! Lottery Drawing at 3pm in Hamilton Gallery, 5502 Harford Road, Baltimore, MD 21214. 

• September 30 – Another party! Community Presentations from grant winners. Time and location TBD.

Q. How do I apply?

A. Submit an application here: https://artistdistrict.wufoo.com/forms/z1wpxyji07r8q88/

Printed copies can be sent to 100 North Holliday Street, Room 523, Baltimore, Md 21202.

Q. Who is eligible?

A. Applicants must be:

• 20 years of age or older by 6/30/2018;

• A resident of the 3rd Council District in Baltimore City. Find your council district here or call Councilman Dorsey’s office at 410-396-4812.

• A person with a current creative practice. Professional experience performing or exhibiting is not required. 

Q. How much does it cost to apply?

A. Nothing. It's free.

Q. When is the application due?

A. All applications due by May 18th. Confirmation of eligibility will be emailed by June 8th.

Q. How do I submit work samples?

A. Provide 3-5 work samples through the Artist/District application. The total of all submitted works cannot exceed 1GB. Applicants may also include a website or other digital platform. If the size of your work samples exceeds 1GB, please include a link to a third-party site (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.) which hosts your work.

Q. I need help with my application.

A. We will be hosting an application workshop on April 28th at Hamilton Gallery. You can also call Councilman Dorsey’s office at 410-396-4812 or email artistdistrict3@gmail.com with questions.

Q. Why are you asking my race?

A. Very often arts grant applications are made by a disproportionately high number of white applicants. The pool of applicants in the Artist/District lottery will be reflective of the racial makeup of Baltimore City, more-or-less, 7 non-white to 3 white. In order to fulfill this commitment, it is necessary to know the race of our applicant pool.

Q. What is a “weighted lottery?”

A. Artist/District is committed to supporting artists in a manner consistent with the racial demographics of Baltimore City. This will be achieved, if necessary, by multiplying the chances of non-white applicants in order to achieve this ratio. For example, if applications are received from 6 white applicants and 7 non-white, then each of the non-white applicant’s names will be entered into the lottery twice, making the white to non-white chances of being drawn 6 to 14, or 3 to 7.

Q. What can I use the money for?

A. There are no requirements on how artists must spend the grant money.

Q. What are the Community Presentations all about?

A. Three months after the grants are awarded, we will get community members and program supporters together to hear informal presentations from artists on how they used the grant money. Presentation assistance is available. We want everyone to walk away knowing that the program is positively impacting individuals in the community and furthering a culture of creativity in the 3rd Council District. 

Q. How is the grant money distributed?

A. The $3,000 grant will be distributed in two installments: $2,250 up front, and $750 at the end of the 3-month period.

Q. When is the lottery drawing?

A. Saturday, June 30th, from 3-5pm at Hamilton Art Gallery, 5502 Harford Road.

Q. Do I need to be present at the lottery drawing in order to be eligible?

A. Yes.

For any other questions, please contact us at artistdistrict3@gmail.com. Thank you!

artistdistrict3@gmail.com

410-396-4812

100 North Holliday Street, Room 523, Baltimore, Md 21202